Algae spurs health advisory

COCOLALLA — The Panhandle Health District and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality are issuing a health advisory for Cocolalla Lake due to the presence of blue-green algae.

The agencies are urging residents and visitors to avoid exposure to lake water in areas where the blue-green algae is present. Landowners who draw drinking water from the lake are being cautioned that potentially present toxins cannot be removed by boiling or filtering the water.

Water quality monitoring confirmed the presence of cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae. Blue-green algal blooms have the potential to produce dangerous toxins in areas of the lake. Pets, children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are most at risk of harmful exposure.

Those who come in contact with lake water are advised to wash off with fresh water. Those who consume fish from the lake are urged to remove all of the fat, skin and organs before cooking since toxins are more likely to collect in those tissues.

Symptoms of exposure to algal toxins vary according to exposure. Symptoms include rashes, hives, diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, and/or wheezing. More severe symptoms affecting the liver and nervous system may result from ingestion of water. If symptoms persist, consult with your health care provider.

The advisory will remain in place until further notice, according to the health district and DEQ.

The advisory is somewhat disconcerting, but not unexpected, said Fred Vincent, president of the Cocolalla Lake Association, which bird-dogs water quality issues on the lake.

Vincent said recent weather patterns have ripened conditions for algae growth, a problem which has already been afflicting other lowland lakes around the Panhandle.

“We depend on Mother Nature to get that once-a-year flush. With the low snowpack last winter, the hot dry summer we experienced and the low lake level we just didn’t get enough push to clear out the nutrients,” Vincent said.

Nutrient loading has been an ongoing issue at the lake.

The association in 2010 studied the concept of using bentonite clay infused with lanthanam, which absorbs phosphorus and starves blue-green algae. However, the product was ultimately deemed a poor fit for Cocolalla Lake because it would effectively form a bottom barrier.

“If you seal the lake, we might just be sealing in our problem. That was not going to be the solution for us,” Vincent said.

The association works with landowners to implement nutrient-loading countermeasures and throws its support behind projects that restore wetlands and creek meanders.

The Bonneville Power Administration and Idaho Department of Fish & Game teamed up to acquire a 20-acre parcel near the lake’s inlet to achieve restoration goals.

Landowners have also put conservation easements on their properties to protect water quality, said Vincent.

Vincent suspects the return of more typical weather patterns will usher the lift of the advisory.

“We should not have a repeat in 2017,” said Vincent.